Gabhatine
The Gabhatine Clan is the last Oakenborn clan known in the Ashen Coast. Once a reclusive people, the efforts of the Blades of Greymane and later the Mac Tire Caidre have since brought them back into their people's society, albeit slowly. Home Flame's Berth is a former shrine-fortress in a mountain in the eastern Range, where there’s a dormant volcano they refer to as the Flame’s Berth in common. It’s said to be a gift from Kol’sir to the Oakenborn for their crafting. When the Wicker King went mad in the Second War of Thorns, the Gabhatine hid away in the mountain and survived his purge of the clans. They decided that the only way to continue their way of life was to live in the mountain, and built their entire society around it. They focus off the idea of something called Forge Speak, which is the use of ancient runes that they inscribe onto themselves and their armor to curry favor with the gods. Gabhatine galuyns don’t go about things the same as other clans in modern times. They have three major leaders, the High Runesinger, which is equivalent to a hierophant but it is that person’s job to preserve teaching as well as his students and their branch, the Grand Smith who is responsible for teaching the leagues of Runesmiths and the Great Preserver, who is basically the Waybinder, who is responsible for preserving Flame’s Berth. Flame’s Berth is unfortunately falling apart due to the stress of time and age and the inability for the Gabhatine to receive the necessary supplies to repair it due to their staunch isolationism. As such over the years they’ve had to repurpose parts of the mountain for different things. Corridors and areas have completely collapsed to age, and because they’re too stubborn to leave the mountain for prolonged periods, they repurpose their own crumbling shrine to keep it working. They have joined the Duchy, but not the Council of the Coimeádaí. Among the Gabhatine is a prophecy that one day the clan will craft a master craft set of armor and weapons that contain the perfect saga, containing the blessings of all of the gods. When that happens, they will be ‘permitted’ by their ancient rite to leave the mountain and rejoin their people. Otherwise, they must stay where they are and continue toiling away. This tale, alongside their keeping into the mountain, would eventually come to an end at the hands of Siegrun an Gabhatine, daughter of then leader Oisin an Gabhatine. Alongside the Blades, Siegrun usurped control over the Gabhatine, awoke the ancient demigods Kol and Sir, and ultimately led her people out of Flame's Berth to the hills below; stating that Flame's Berth would be used for work as it was restored, but no longer for living. Instead, the Gabhatine would live in the long since abandoned Oakenborn villages that their ancestors had once used before they fled into the mountain for safety. Thus began the long process of restoring the Gabhatine lands, establishing rocky contact with the Gilneans whom had been rather heavy handed in their handling of the Gabhatine, and ultimately the shift in their society. Society The Runesingers are those who teach the language, what they have of it, and teach the story of their clan. The Clan believes that they are to continue the ways of the ancient Oakenborn Rune-smiths, and that only by making rune weapons/armor will they please the gods. They teach that it is the job of the Rune smiths to make and etch grand tales of the gods and their exploits in order to curry their favor. Of the gods, none are revered as great as Kol'sir, or Kolsir, the great mountain bear. Tales of Kolsir as he was united or when he became the twin bears, Kol and Sir are often inscribed upon runestones that dot the hills that lead towards Flame's Berth, one of the few areas that the Gabhatine go into when leaving their mountain, and it is extremely common for the bears to be revered by just about every Gabhatine. Truly, they believe the forge of the mountain to be a gift from the great bear before he was split into two, maintained by his twin spirits that descend from him as they watch over the clan. Some have claimed to have spoken to Kol or Sir that slumber deep within Flame's Berth, but these stories are not necessarily treated as truth. The Rune Smiths etch literal stories and epics upon their weapons and armor that they make. As such, most Gabhatine weaponry and armor is etched with hundreds of runes that tell a story when translated. In actuality, the stories they etch contain various runes that hold magical properties to them in the rituals the Gabhatine perform. Since each god corresponds to certain ideas, runes that cause Ice magic for example appear prominent in tales about Hod. It is believed one of three things happens when you do this. While those of the clan have noted the power coming from differing words and symbols, as well as the ornate rituals that seem to imbue these otherwise powerless words, to attempt to manipulate for power, outside of saga-etching, is seen as an affront to the spirits. If your story is poor, you’ll gather no favor from the gods. This is, in actuality, because runes were crafted improperly or because incantations were not properly etched. If your story is decent , you’ll find your craft to hold a small blessing from the gods. This means there were some, but not enough, runes to bring heavy magic. For example, a blade with a tale about Hod that is cold whenever you touch the metal, holds MINOR frost enchantment. If your story is appeasing, you’ll find your craft to hold a blessing from the Gods. This is because you’ll have runes that are adequately crafted and placed. As such, to use the same example as last time, a blade that calls upon frost magic has several frost enchantments upon it, and is considered a “glorious tale of Hod.” The Preservers are the last branch. They basically keep the mountain from falling apart and are the only ones who really go outside. They hold farms and hunt, and it’s believed that if they leave the mountain for too long, they’ll start to lose focus. It’s not unheard of for Gabhatine to leave the mountain, but it’s frowned upon, as it is seen as going against the ways of their people. Category:Galuyn Category:Blades of Greymane Category:Houses, Clans and Tribes Category:Galuyn Clans